Tucked away within Toa Payoh's light industrial park at Lorong 8 is the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency. The owner of this company, Mr Yeo Hung Teo is one the last few remaining traditional paper lantern painters in Singapore. I was given the great opportunity to pay a visit to his shop and see the man personally at work.
Yeo Swee Huat makes paper paraphernalia used in temple festivities, funeral offerings and of course lanterns.Traditional paper lanterns (once common in the past), can still be seen in temples, clan associations, traditional peranakans houses and sometimes, though rarely now in houses of rich towkays.
Mr Yeo learned the arts from his father, but also added his only personal touch and creative flair that he perfected over the years thus differentiating his works from other artisans.
While sifu Yeo Hung Teo was explaining that the chinese characters of the lantern was painted up to 7 layers to give it a consistent feel and look better when illuminated from inside, Mrs Yeo's iphone rang and she was frantically taking instructions and making sure the orders are correct.
Materials used
Yeo Swee Huat makes paper paraphernalia used in temple festivities, funeral offerings and of course lanterns.Traditional paper lanterns (once common in the past), can still be seen in temples, clan associations, traditional peranakans houses and sometimes, though rarely now in houses of rich towkays.
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| Hanging from the shop (paper horses and lanterns) |
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| paper clothes |
Mr Yeo learned the arts from his father, but also added his only personal touch and creative flair that he perfected over the years thus differentiating his works from other artisans.
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| The hands of sifu Yeo Hung Teo at work |
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| sifu Yeo Hung Teo with 2 brushes at hand make painting the lantern seem effortless |
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| Holding a large lantern and painting it at same time is not easy |
While sifu Yeo Hung Teo was explaining that the chinese characters of the lantern was painted up to 7 layers to give it a consistent feel and look better when illuminated from inside, Mrs Yeo's iphone rang and she was frantically taking instructions and making sure the orders are correct.
Materials used
They needed paper, bamboo, paint and glue. The glue used i found out is made from a seaweed based and prior to been used, vinegar is added to give it a smoother texture when applied on paper.
Location
Mr Yeo Hung Teo's business is located at: Block 6 Toa Payoh Industrial Park Lorong 8 #01-1307 Singapore 319058
Video by Singapore Heritage Board of Mr Yeo Hung Teo
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